


We Are the Bells

by notsoclassyfangirl



Category: We Are The Bells
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Multi, Original Character(s), Prologue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:02:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23878861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsoclassyfangirl/pseuds/notsoclassyfangirl
Summary: An original story by Notsoclassyfangirl.Story set in an Alternate Universe, following the lives of humans and lycanthropes. It will explore the effects of war on youth, explicit sexual encounters, complex relationships, and mature themes. Reader discretion advised.More description available as the story continues.





	We Are the Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Wow, I cannot believe I finally have the guts to post the prologue of my first ever original story! I've been writing and editing this "book" of mine for years, and it's always been my dream to one day have it published. After all this time has passed, I feel as though I'm finally ready to hear constructive criticism, and to see what other people think of my work.
> 
> I will continue to post and write on my other fic I'm working on, but for now the only chapter I will post of this story is the Prologue. I would love to see comments and suggestions below so I can see if the readers of AO3 would like to see this story continue!
> 
> Sorry there aren't many tags on it! That will change over time I promise lmao.
> 
> Thank you all so much! Lots of love, and happy reading! <3
> 
> xx
> 
> \- Notsoclassyfangirl

Our story begins in a land that comprises two islands. It is not located on any world map. It has not been discovered by those who are not aware of its existence. The land, as if it has a mind of its own, does not wish to be found, so it is not.

**Akelaos** is what they call this land, after the greek hero Achilles, son of Thetis, borne from sea foam and the mix of two species who should not be mixed: that of god and man. And just as Achilles was brought into existence by a goddess of the ocean and a ruler of mankind, so was Akelaos. 

The two islands rose from the sea in an age long past. There are stories and rumors as to how the first inhabitants came to live on these islands. Some say that a shipwreck from the time of the Spanish Conquistadors first brought humans to the shores of Akelaos. Others say humans were always here, brought up from the soil by gods and deities, or perhaps they simply evolved into being. However they came, they are here, and they coexist with another dominant species: **lycanthropes.**

Unlike humankind, we do know how the lycanthropes came to be. Once the humans settled on Akelaos, they discovered that the mountains, forests, and fields were home to dire wolves. Huge, hulking beasts with colorful furs and sharp teeth that lorded over the islands. The people, rather than risk having the dire wolves as foes, befriended them. The two species taught each other their ways of life without communication, but through the mutual desire to survive. 

One by one, some of the humans began to prefer the lifestyle the dire wolves led over their own, modern ways. The dire wolves showed the group of humans how to act like them, hunt like them, and exist like them. Over time, the people learned how to morph their bodies into the shape of the dire wolves, switching between bodies as easily as breathing. The dire wolves saw it as a strange, yet beautiful gift -- the ability to change shape at will -- and were happy to co-exist with humans that could present themselves as equals. 

However, the group of humans who chose to exist without the wolves grew hateful and jealous. They blamed the dire wolves for twisting their fellow humans into something unnatural, something that shouldn't be possible. Humans, as they so often do, decided to take matters into their own hands and strike them down, to prevent further twisting of their two species. There was an ugly battle waged between the dire wolves and the humans. Lycanthropes were caught in the middle, unsure if they should side with their heritage or their chosen lifestyle. Most sided with the dire wolves, others chose neutrality, and a small few sided with the humans.

Many years of fighting passed, and soon the dire wolves were very much extinct, every last one hunted down and slaughtered by humans. The people, satisfied with a job well done, welcomed the lycanthropes back into their society. There was no catch, no harshness, no resentment. The lycanthropes, the humans had decided, were never the problem. The dire wolves had been. If a small amount of prejudice remained towards the lycanthropes, it was hidden well.

As time went on, Akelaos began to prosper. A bridge was built between the two islands, having the width of several hundred yards and connecting the islands through twenty miles of open ocean. If a lycanthrope were to shift into its dire wolf form and sprint down its length, it would take them one half of an hour to cross it. **The Bridge** was a fantastic feat of human engineering, and was celebrated with all the pomp and circumstance one would expect for such a marvel. The two islands were now connected, allowing for each side to prosper alongside the other.

On the northern-most island, the city of **Soma** was built. It is a thriving metropolis that advanced just as quickly as the rest of the modern world. The reigning royal family built their home in Soma, to ensure the city's continual prosperity. The southern island, the island of **Bruwi** , is just as advanced, but no metropolis. The houses are home to lycanthropes and humans alike, nestled within mountainous peaks and forested regions. Most every average citizen resides in Bruwi, while the wealthiest choose to live in Soma. Travel between the two islands using the Bridge was common, encouraged, and almost essential to the people living in Akelaos. 

The humans continued to make livings for themselves, becoming authors and bakers and politicians and professors. The lycanthropes tried to follow into these livelihoods as well, but found that their race specifically made excellent peacekeepers. Their unusual strength and ability to shift into the form of a dire wolf made them deadly. The lycanthropes kept crime in check naturally, and soon a full-fledged police force was formed. However, the humans were slow to acknowledge the work the lycanthropes did, and soon the lycanthropes demanded compensation for the dangerous job they chose to accept. So, a compromise was made.

On the 23rd of April in the year 1927, a treaty was signed called the **Lycanthrope Protection Proclamation.** It stated that any lycanthrope who chose to pursue a fighter's profession would be sent to an elite training academy called **DireSchool**. At the age of sixteen, any lycanthrope willing would be drafted to attend DireSchool for four years, learning every form of combat imaginable, as well as skills that would harness their special shifting abilities. The school would reside in Soma, and was offered as a gift to the lycanthropes for all of their dedicated work. 

At the end of their academic career, once the students reached the age of 20, they would each be subject to individual testing to determine their skill and value. These test results would be used in what they would come to call **the Auction**. Each student would stand before the citizens of Akelaos, have their score read aloud, then assigned to a guardian position in service to whichever person bid the highest number. Ten percent of the bid funds were given back to the DireSchool, the rest were given to the lycanthrope bid upon. The lycanthropes were tied to protecting their new charges until they were released from service, or incapacitated. The reigning monarchs alongside the Parliament deemed private guardian service a more effective method than one single police force, and they all but disbanded the original peacekeeping group. One small police force remained in Soma, and those who were chosen to work in said force were also found at the Auction.

At the end of their service, the lycanthropes would leave their charges with all the earnings they received from the Auction, and with an official pardon from any and all misdeeds from the Royal family. The Lycanthrope Protection Proclamation brought peace and balance to the two races. Akelaos, while it holds its fair share of crime and mutiny, had the good sense to combine forces with an extraordinary species to combat such troubles for the second time in their history. The treaty was signed into law by a council of lycanthropes and humans, and all has been well ever since...


End file.
